Adobe Stock Contributor Guide

What are buyers looking for?

Our customers are looking for content that speaks to them and can illuminate a wide variety of topics. They want content that their audiences can relate to. Focus on authentic images of real people from all cultures.

What are the latest features for Adobe Stock contributors?

The Contributor portal Insights tab allows you to view your sales history and check your sales, downloads, and tax withholding for custom date ranges. You can also download a CSV file with this information.

Our new Paste Keywords function allows you to easily copy and paste keywords from one image or keyword list to another. Learn more.

Get Started

How do I become a contributor?

If you are 18 or older and own the rights to the photographs, video, illustrations, and/or vector imagery you create, you are welcome to join us at Adobe Stock. You don’t have to be a professional, an artist, or own fancy equipment to be an Adobe Stock contributor. You do not have to be a Creative Cloud subscriber. Sign up for an Adobe ID to start contributing. Learn more.

What are the supported file formats?

Our core collection includes photos, video, illustrations, and vector imagery. Each content type has its own requirements that can be found here.

How can I sync my Fotolia account with my Adobe Stock contributor account?

To learn about the benefits of syncing your account and the steps for doing so, see Information for Fotolia contributors. Syncing your account is only possible the first time you log in to the portal.

Get Paid

What is Adobe Stock's royalty structure?

The royalties for photo, illustration, and vector content sold on Adobe Stock equals 33% of the amount paid by the buyer. The price depends on the subscription plan. A minimum guarantee applies to make sure that contributors are always fairly compensated, whatever the price paid. The royalty for video sold on Adobe Stock equals 35% of the amount paid by the buyer. Terms for Adobe Stock and Fotolia differ. See our Royalty table for details.

How do I get paid?

To learn our payment policies and find out how to request a payment, see Get paid.

What do I need to know about taxes?

Licensing creative content is an economic activity. As an Adobe Stock contributor, income derived from your sales in the US is subject to US IRS (Internal Revenue Service) withholding tax. Depending on where you live, see Tax basics for US citizens and registered aliens or Tax basics for non-US citizens. If you do not file your tax forms, Adobe automatically withholds 30% of all earnings.

Why was my account blocked?

Keywords are in alphabetical order when uploaded through Lightroom Classic CC

Keywords or other IPTC data entered in Lightroom Classic appear in alphabetical order in the Keyword section of the Contributor portal. Adobe recommends that you manually reorder the keywords on the Contributor portal based on priority. This critical step ensures that your images are returned in the search results.

Vector images fail to upload

Make sure that your artboard is at least 15MP. In addition, some contributors experience difficulties uploading EPS files through Internet Explorer. If you are using Internet Explorer, try another browser or upload AI files.

Vector preview issues

If you upload an AI or EPS file, you may observe a shift in color when you view your image in the Contributor portal or on the Adobe Stock site. The color shift only impacts the image preview. To avoid this color shift, create a JPEG of your vector file, then put the JPEG and AI or EPS in a folder and create a ZIP file. Upload the ZIP using FTP. Information on FTP can be found here.

In addition, when you are saving an AI file, make sure "Create PDF Compatible File" is checked.